Process of reforming splice bars



Jan. 6, 1931. E. WOODINGS PROCESS OF REFORMING SPLICE BARS Filed Aug. 28. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l WITNESSES MM v E. WOODINGS Jam 6, 1931 PROCESS OF REFORMING SPLICE BARS Filed Aug. 28, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Jan. 6, 1931. E. WOODINGS I PROCESS OF REFORMING SPLICE BARS Filed Aug. 28, 1928 \&

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' Patented Jan. 6, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EMANUEL WOODINGS, OF OAKMON'I, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WOODINGS FORGE & TOOL COMPANY, OF VEBONA PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA PROCESS OF BEFORMIN G SPLICE BARS Application filed Lug-m as, 1928. Serial No. 302,461.

This invention relates to machines for and methods of reforming splice bars for railroad rails. More particularly it relates to machines for and methods of reforming the" so-called continuous splice bars by removing a portion of the original bar, and reforming the remainder to produce a bar different from the original, or in which the worn rail-engaging portions are restored to original position.

worn splice bars by putting them through a heating and forging treatment, to restore their worn surfaces to the original'lines, or, in certain cases, to reshape the bars somewhat to make a preferred form of bar. For example see my prior Patent No. 1,547 ,854,

dated July 28, 1925. When so treated the reformed bar is as good or better than the original, and costs much less, as no new material is used. The old har bepomes in effecta blank for forging therefrom a new bar.

Very early in ,tlferailwayart there was developed a form of so-called continuous splice bar having a base late adapted to extend underneath the rai s and to furnish a support therefor. The term continuous as used herein implies a bar with a base plate adapted to extend under and support the base of the rail, and a cooperating seat portion adapted-to rest on the top of the rail base, the base plate and, seat portion being connected by a transition portion, and forming between the two a tapered jaw adapted to engage the rail base. Continuous bars have long been known in the art,-eertain forms thereof being described in United States Patents Nos. 46,803, dated March 14, 1865, and 877,455, dated January 21, 1908. Such bars are still in extensive use on many .ing

railroads, and heretofore the reforming thereof has presented a difficult problem. To

reform them to their original shape has not proved practicable, and to reform them to any other shape has required such a manipulation of the metal as to renderthe process unduly difiicult and expensive. Attempts have been made to remove the base plate portion of such bars, and that is the most feasible meth- 0d of treatment, but this also has been found to be difficult. Various ways of doing it have been tried. vF or example the old bars have been put in planers which machined 0a the seat portion, while others have removed it by sawing the bar longitudinally through the web, etc.

- The present invention relates to a machine for and method-of removing'this base-plate portion, and at the same time reforming the upper'part of the bar to produce a non-continuous splice bar without a rail supporting base plate.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine for efliciently shearing off a longitudinal ortion of a continuous splice bar, and pre erably at the same operation repressa portion of a similar bar, previously sheared,'to form in effect a new bar.

An additional object is to provide in a single machine for preliminarily bending the metal of a continuous splice bar to open up the jaw thereof, so that it may be, efficiently sheared longitudinally to remove the base portion, means for performing the shearing operation on another bar already opened up at the same stroke of the machine, and means for pressing another bar tofinal shape at the same time.

elevation of a machine for practicing this invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial vertical section corresponding to the view of Fig. 1, showing the dies in open position; Fig. 3

is an enlarged partial vertical section. corresponding to that of Fig. 2, but showing the machine at the end of an operating stroke,

IOU

with the dies in closed position; and Fig. 4

is a side elevation, on a reduced scale, of the shear knife.

i A machine for accomplishing these objects is Illustrated in the drawings. Referring to Fig. 1, the machine is illustrated as mounted on a concrete base 1. It comprises a base frame 2 carrying a lower stationary die block 3, and having upright side guide frames 4, 4, in which is reciprocably mounted a sliding cross'head or plunger 5, carrying an upper movable die block 6. The sliding plunger member 5 is attached to connecting rod 7, driven by crank portion 8 of a cross shaft 9, journaled in the upper portion of the side frames 4, 4. The shaft 9 has keyed thereon a large gear wheel 10, driven by pinion 11, keyed on shaft 12, which carries on the other side of the frame pulleys 13 and 14, adapted to be driven by a power belt in the usual manner. 'A flywheel 15 is also mounted on the shaft 12. The end of shaft 12 beyond the pulleys 13 and 14 is mounted in a suitable bearing on the upper end of post 16, supported on the concrete base 1. The upper portions of the side frames 4 are rigidly connected by a transverse arch member 17. Suitable bearings, lubricating devices, etc., are provided for this machine, but as they constitute no part of this invention they need not be described in detail.

The continuous type of splice bar which this machine is particularly designed to reform is illustrated in end view and cross-section. It is of normal length and height, according to the rails with which it is used. It comprises a base plate 20 (Fig. 2) adapted to extend under and support the base of the end of a rail. This'plate is extended to an enlarged transition portion 21, which leads to an inclined portion 22 adapted to seat on the up per inclined face of the rail base, and forming the opposing jaw which with base plate 20 normally grips the rail base. A web portion 23 connects the parts previously mentioned to the head 24, which has an inclined upper face 25, adapted to contact with and support the under side of the rail head, as will be readily understood, and as is illustrated in the two patents last above noted. When such bars are in normal position the portion 25 is rigidly clamped against the under face of a rail head, and portion 22 is rigidly clamped against and seats on the upper inclined portion of the rail base. In reforming such bars it is desirable to remove the base plate 20 and the transition portion 21, leaving only the seating part 22 for engaging the upper face of the rail base, the web, and the head.

In order to remove the effects of wear and weather and restore the original usefulness i successive operations upon any given bar, the

three operations being however perfol med seriatim upon different bars at each stroke of the machine,

Referring again to the machine itself, there is mounted in the lower die block 3 a negative die 30, having its upper face longitudinally channeled out to substantially conform to the outer longitudinal face of a continuous bar such as has been above described. This results in a deep groove 31, one side of which extends upward to and terminates in a substantially fiat face 32, the other side extending in a curve forming a portion adapted to receive and fit the outer face of the bar. The die 30 is fixed in the block by means of a key member 33, in the usualmanner- It will be understood that the die is somewhat longer than the splice bar so that the latter lies on the die throughout the length of the bar and the groove 31, as illustrated in section in Fig. 2. 7

An upper cooperating positive die 36 is fixed in the die block 6 by means of a key bar 37. This upper die has a tapered nose portion 38, one side of which has a curved shoulder 39 adapted .to cooperate with the portion 32 of the lower'die 30. The other side of the nose .38- has a tapered side portion substantially corresponding to the inclined face of the seat portion 22 of the bar.

When the die 36 is brought down to its lowerinost position as shown in Fig. 3, the nose 38 ust clears the upper inner corner of the por tion 20 of the splice bar, enters the jaw of the bar, and the curved portion leading to shoulward between the shoulder 39 and'the lower die portion 32 and is substantially parallel with the web portion as shown in Fig. 3. This bar after bending is shown at the left of Fig. 2, and is marked B While this extreme bending of thbase plate is shown, and is preferred, it will be understood that the object is to open up the jaw to permit eflicient access of a shear blade, and various degrees of opening up may be utilized forthe same purpose.

Referring to the left side of Fig. 2, a shear knife 40 is attached tothe upper movable die' block 6 by means of bolts 41. This knife has its outer edge portions 42, 42, inclined slightly upward from the outer ends to a middle straight portion 43, for a purpose to be described below.

After a bar has been opened up in the dies 30 and 36. as shown at the right of Fig. 3, it is moved to the left of the machine under the shear knife 40, and placed in upright position, as shown at the left' of that figure. In order to hold it in position for shearing, the die block 3 carries a fixed hook member 45, the tip 46 of which is adapted to engage the outer face 26 of the bar head. The inclined face of the seat portion 22 of the bar seats on a supporting member 47 which is mounted in a recess 48 formed in the die block 3, and is adjustable by means of securing bolts 49. The outer portion of the supportin member 47 is adapted to fit accurately into t e groove formed between the inner face of the railseat portion 22, and the downwardly turned base plate 20 of the bar B -The transition portion 21 of the bar then rests upon the head 50 of a pivoted supporting lever 51, pivoted at 52 in an extension 53 of the die block 3. A. counterweight 54 is adjustably mounted on this lever so that. it may be made to properly support the portion 21 of the bar in the preliminary postioning thereof. When the knife descends and shears the bar in a plane substantially parallel with the outer face of the supporting member 47 the head 50 of the upporting bar 51 descends \to allow the sheared portion to move downward and fall into the recess 55 in the die block 3. Due to the fact that the shear knife has its-edges inclined downward from the middle straight nortion thereof, the shearing action will comnience at the outer corners of the bar, and be completed at. the middle. This somewhat reduces the power necessary for the shearing stroke and also makes a cleaner cut.

It will be observed that a stroke of the .-.hear knife removes all of the base plate 20 and all of the transition portion 21 of the bar, but leaves substantially all of the seat por- 1tion 22, and all of the web and head of the .731.

In the middle of the die blocks there is attached to the upper one 6, a die 60, by means of key 61, cooperating with dove-tailed recess 62. The die has a downwardly extending portion 63 with an inner inclined face 64 adapted to contact with the inclined face of the seat portion 22 of that part of the bar from which the base plate has been sheared in the operation previously referred to. This (lie is cut away longitudinally in the middle portion to conform to the outline of the inner part of the splice bar that is to be made from the old one. This comprises a groove 65 which conforms to the inner portion of the splice bar between the web 23 and the seat i2, and a second groove 66. which is outlined to conform to the desired head of the reformed bar. Thiscomprises a face 67 adapted to engagethe rail-engaging face 25 of the bar and to positively limit and position the new rail-engaging face 25a of the reformed bar B. Any excess of metal in the blank B supplied to this middle set of dies is taken care of by extension of the portion 22, and widening of the face portion 25a. As will be observed from Fig. 3, there is ample space between the two dies for" that purpose. a

A lower die 70-is attached to the lower die block 3, and cooperates with the die 60. The upper portion of the die 70 is shaped to provide a groove 72 forreceiving the outerrib of the splice bar head. The right side of-ithe.

die as seen in Figr2 formsa tapered portion,

73, which cooperates with the. projection of the die 60 to definev the-taperedrail:seat,

tioned lengthwise on the die 30,-as shown at i the right of Fig. 2. f The plunger crosshead' member 5 carrying the upper die block 't-nen' descends, bringing the die 36 from the position'in Fig. 2 to the position in Fig. 3. The die 36 engages the upper inner corner'of the base plate 20 of the bar B, and as the die 36 moves downward in the jaw of the bar to its final position the base plate is bent outward and then turned downward to substantially horizontal position as shown at the right of- Fig. 3. The bar after this first opening-up operation may for convenience be referred to as B The plunger is then raised, the bar B is removed by the workmen, turned fromhorizontal to vertical position, and inserted on the supporting members 47 and 50 with the head under the hook'46, as shown at the left. of Fig. 2. At the same time, another heated bar B is inserted in the groove 31 0f die 30.

The plunger again descends, the new bar B is formed into another bar B as in the first operation. During the same stroke of the plunger the shear knife 40 passes downward, the outer corners thereof shearing the ends of the bar B first, and then the inner straight portion 33 of the knife'shearing the middle portion of the bar in a line substantially parallel to the vertical support 47. This entirely removes the base 20 and the transition portion 21 of the bar B leaving the head, web, and-seat portion 22 of the bar, which for convenience may be referred to as B The plunger is again raised, the sheared bar B is moved from support 47 and hook 46 to the die 70, and positioned thereon as shown at the middle of Fig. 2. During the same time another bar B is moved from the die 30 to the support 47, and another unopened bar Bis inserted in the die 30.

The plunger is again actuated, the dies 30 and 36 performing the preliminary o eningup operation to convert bar B into ar B the shear knife cutting off the base plate and transition portion of bar B to form a second bar B and the middle dies 60 and 70 pressing the bar B to reform the head and base thereof to form the finished product B shown at the middle portion of Fig. 3.

The dies 60 and 70 are so formed that they forge the hot blank B to exact dimensions as to the inclined face of the portion 22, and as to the rail-head engaging face 25a. In doing this the metal of the entire bar is usually caus ed to flow somewhat, and particuarly the head portion is forged to a slightly different shape, with the faces 25a and of portion 22 accurately positioned for the rail to which the bar is to be applied. This working of the metal improves its physical characteristics and the resulting roduct is in some respects superior to the or ginal bar.

It will be observed that in the downward stroke of the plunger the die 36 will contact with the base plate 20 of the bar B, and will commence the first bending or opening-up operation before the shear knife 40 comes 1n contact with the bar B also that the shear knife 40 on account of the inclined ends does not immediately meet the full resistance of the severing operation; and that the severing will be substantially completed before the resistance of the for ing operation of the two middle finishing dles has reached its maximum. Consequently the three operations take place in part seriatim, althou h all are completed at a single plunger stro e of the machine, thereby relieving the machine of excessive shock or strain at any one time.

' Thus the machine at each stroke is adapt ed to operate on three separate bars, and to complete a definite operation on each. Before each stroke of the machine an old bar B is inserted and after each ly finished bar B is removed. Also after each stroke each bar is moved forward one step in the process.

I The portlon of the bar B that is sheared off by the downward movementof the knife 40 falls into the space below the support 51, and is ushed out of the way after each operation y the inserting movement of the next bar B See Fig. 3, left end. These sheared ofl portions have no part in the further operation of the machine, and represent merely scrap so far as the reforming of splice bars is concerned.

The shear knife and the various dies may I be removed for grinding or refinishing, or

for substitution of dies having somewhat different contours, adapted to form bars of different fishing hei hts, or the like. The machine operates witli a minimum of power, due to the progressive encounterin of resistance by the several dies. A big ly efficient machine and method results, since at each stroke of the plunger three different operations are performed, and a reformed bar,

' re uirin three se arate o erations is finished.

I claim:

1. The process" of reforming splice bars of the continuous type, comprising heating the bar, opening it up by bending the base plate away from the seat portion, shearing .the continuous type, comprising heating the bars, opening up the jaws thereof by suitable dies, shearing off the base plates, and then reforming the remainders of the bars between a pair of suitably shaped dies, said opening up, shearing, and reforming being accoin lished in series on successive bars.

3. he process of reforming worn splice bars of the continuous type, comprising heating the old bars, opening up the jaws by bending the base plates into substantial parallel position relative to the web portions, shearmg off the base portions, then reforming the sheared bars between finishing dies to desired final form.

In testimony whereof, I si EMANUEL my name.

OODINGS.

stroke a complete- 

